Financial data impasse of concern to CC School Board

Charles City School Board members are feeling frustrated about having limited access to financial data. The factor that makes it more concerning is that the data is their own.

Board members spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting about the lack of access to computer data to help with their budgeting for the current school year, as well as closing out last year.

Those concerns have caused problems in the financial department according to school board finance director David Papenfuse.

“We’re basically submitting information to the state based on numbers I’ve worked up,” said Papenfuse.

Papenfuse and superintendent of schools Janet Crawley have met with Charles City county administrator Zach Trogden on the issue of having access to the financial information. Those talks seemed to have little effect on the status of the situation.

“He [Trogden] said that the information is limited because of the Board of Supervisors’ request,” said Crawley.

School board chairman Steve Fuhrmann expressed his dismay over limited access to the information.

“It’s our information and I don’t see why we can’t have access to it,” he said. “I can understand the board of supervisors wanting to maintain security, but that is pertinent information we need to close out the 2011-12 fiscal year.”

In previous meetings, Fuhrmann has requested information comparing the fiscal budgets of the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.
Papenfuse has said he has made various efforts to obtain this information, but it’s basically a long process.

“This information has affected us this year,” said Papenfuse. “Because the county has not closed out their fiscal year and we are required to submit numbers by September, we are basically behind where we need to be.”

Papenfuse also pointed out another detrimental factor of not having access to the financial data.

“Because we are moving items from one account and itemizing them to another account, we can’t do that because some of the old accounts that we are closing are still being used.”

Board members agreed unanimously that a written statement from Trogden is needed to explain the situation more thoroughly and what they can do to have access to the information.

In another matter, school board members have announced a 2013-14 pre-budget public hearing.

Board members agreed by consensus to have a public hearing on Nov. 7 to receive input on where parents and other citizens would like to see the focus of the budget for the upcoming year.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. in the Charles City Middle/High School library.